National minimum wage: accommodation

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National minimum wage: accommodation

Accommodation provided by an employer can be taken into account when calculating the minimum wage.

The offset rate for accommodation charges is £5.35 a day or £37.45 a week. If an employer charges more than this, the difference is taken off the worker’s pay which counts for the minimum wage.

This means the higher the accommodation charge, the lower a worker’s pay when calculating minimum wage.

If the accommodation charge is at or below the offset rate, it doesn’t have an effect on the worker’s pay.

If the accommodation is free, the offset rate is added to the worker’s pay.

No other kind of benefit (eg food, a car, childcare vouchers) counts towards the minimum wage.

Use the National Minimum Wage calculator to check if the minimum wage has been paid.

What counts as accommodation charges

Include these costs as part of your overall accommodation charges:

  • rent
  • charges for gas, electricity, furniture, etc
  • laundry

Working out if the employer provides the accommodation

The employer is providing accommodation if any of these apply:

  • the accommodation comes with the job
  • the employer (or a connected person or company) owns or rents the property the worker lives in, even if there’s no direct link between the job and the accommodation
  • the employer (or an owner, business partner, shareholder or director) gets a payment or benefit from the worker’s landlord or a member of the landlord’s family

Accommodation costs count towards the minimum wage even if the worker doesn’t have to use the accommodation to do the job. If the accommodation is optional, it only counts as a cost if the worker uses it.

Accommodation charges: effect on the minimum wage

This depends on how much an employer charges for accommodation.

It’s calculated by ‘pay period’, the intervals at which someone is being paid. This can be weekly, monthly or in irregular intervals like every 10 days.

If the accommodation is free, it still affects the minimum wage. There is an offset rate of £5.35 per day for this.

It doesn’t matter if the cost of the accommodation is taken from the worker’s wages beforehand or if the worker pays the cost after they get their wages.

Example 1: accommodation is free

John is 27 and gets £5.50 an hour. This is below minimum wage.

He works 30 hours a week.

He gets paid every 7 days (his pay period).

His employer provides free accommodation 7 days a week.

This brings John’s pay up to £6.75 an hour, which is above the minimum wage rate of £6.70.

Calculation:

  1. £5.35 (offset rate used when accommodation is free) × 7 (days accommodation provided in pay period) = £37.45

  2. £37.45 + (£5.50 × 30 – the total pay in reference period) = £202.45

  3. £202.45 ÷ 30 (total hours in pay period) = £6.75

Example 2: accommodation is charged below the maximum rate

Lisa is 30 and gets £6.80 an hour. This is above minimum wage.

Her employer charges £3.50 per day for accommodation which is below the threshold of £5.35. No offset rate is applied.

The accommodation charge doesn’t affect Lisa’s pay of £6.80 an hour.

Example 3: accommodation is charged above the maximum rate

Sam is 35 and gets £7.00 an hour. This is above minimum wage.

He works 40 hours a week.

He gets paid every 3 weeks (his pay period).

His employer charges £7.20 per day for accommodation.

Sam lives in the accommodation full time which is 21 days for his pay period.

This brings Sam’s pay down to £6.68 an hour, which is below the minimum wage.

Calculation:

  1. £7.00 (hourly rate) × 120 (total hours in pay period) = £840.00

  2. £7.20 (accommodation rate) × 21 (days accommodation provided in pay period) = £151.20

  3. £5.35 (offset rate used when accommodation is free) × 21 (days accommodation provided in pay period) = £112.35

  4. £840.00 (total pay in pay period) – £151.20 (total accommodation cost in pay period) + £112.35 (total accommodation offset in pay period) = £801.15

  5. £801.15 ÷ 120 (total hours in pay period) = £6.68

Local housing authority and social housing providers

If someone working for a local housing authority or social housing provider gets accommodation from their work, this doesn’t automatically count towards the minimum wage.

It only counts if the accommodation is linked to the employment. For example, a care warden who has to live on site has their accommodation linked to their job.

Higher or further education institutions

Accommodation isn’t counted when working out the minimum wage if it’s provided by a higher or further education institution to a worker who’s enrolled on a full-time course with the institution.

Help and advice

Call the Acas helpline if you have any questions about workers’ rights and the National Minimum Wage.

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